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New wealth and old superstitions fuel plates craze

At a government auction inside a dingy gymnasium, a young businessman named Ding became a happy winner the other day. Like everyone else, he had been bidding on license plates and did not seem to mind that his cost US$6,750.

For about the same amount of money, Ding could almost have afforded two of the Chinese-made roadsters popular in the domestic car market. His bid was almost 20 times what a Chinese farmer earns in a year, and almost seven times the country's per capita annual income.

And yet, at the auction in this manufacturing capital in southern China, Ding, who only gave his last name, could not even claim top price. The most expensive plate -- AC6688 -- fetched US$10,000 on a day when officials sold hundreds of plates for a total of US$366,500.

"I thought it was rather cheap," said Ding, 30, a gold chain glinting under his open black sport shirt, as he walked off with the paperwork for plate APY888. "Since I have a nice car, I thought I should get a nice plate."

`The most expensive plate -- AC6688 -- fetched US$10,000 on a day when officials sold hundreds of plates for a total of US$366,500.'

No country is more bonkers over cars than China, where achieving the new middle-class dream means owning a shiny new vehicle. But a car is not always enough for those who aspire beyond the middle class. A license plate has become almost as much of a status symbol as the car.

The reason behind the license plate craze is China's potent blend of new-money aspirations and Old World superstitions. For centuries, numbers have served as a second language in China. The unluckiest number, four (si, 四) which sounds similar to "death" in Chinese, is so dreaded that some buildings have no fourth floor. The luckiest number is eight (ba, 八) which rhymes with fa (發), the Chinese character suggesting the attainment of wealth. It is no coincidence that the Summer Olympics in Beijing will open on 8/8/2008 at 8pm.

License plates are usually issued randomly. But in a country where 100,000 people die annually in traffic accidents, a plate that ends in four is considered a very bad omen for a superstitious motorist; it might as well read "death." A plate overflowing with eights portends good fortune.

Not willing to leave owning a lucky plate merely to luck itself, many people have tried to buy them, whether as a sort of supernatural insurance policy or simply to flaunt their wealth. Bribery has risen in several cities as officials have traded favorable plates for stuffed envelopes. Entrepreneurs also have tried to cash in: A man in the city of Hangzhou placed an Internet ad offering to sell his A88888 plate for about US$140,000.

But with the wide gap between the rich and poor in China, a status plate can also be an object of resentment. In December 2003, a woman in the city of Harbin ran over and killed a peasant who had scratched her Mercedes with his vegetable cart. When the woman initially escaped charges, witnesses assumed she had government ties because her car had an expensive license plate.

The aroma of corruption was enough that officials in southern China decided to put the plates up for public auction and announced that proceeds would be dedicated to helping accident victims. A handful of other cities have also started auctions, including Ruian in Zhejiang Province, where local media reported that one plate went for more than US$35,000.

Zhao Shu, chairman of the China Folk Art and Literature Association, said the infatuation with lucky plates was a gross distortion of traditional Chinese culture.

"People are feeling empty and superficial," Zhao said. "They are not learning the traditional culture and they misunderstand it. It shows a very superficial culture. It's bragging by the new rich."

Zhao, who said the symbolism of numbers could be traced to Confucius as well as Daoism, said the current emphasis on eight and four overlooked the fact that numbers were more than just lucky or unlucky. He said proper interpretation of numbers was far more nuanced and linked in meaning to the spoken Chinese. Good fortune, he added, cannot be purchased with a bundle of eights.

Yet, if anything, the public infatuation with numbers is growing. Mobile phone stores offer "lucky" numbers, some costing as much as US$2,000. A regional Chinese airline reportedly paid about US$300,000 to use 8888-8888 for its telephone number. Chinese newspapers reported that some parents refused to let their children ride taxis with "unlucky" license plates on their way to take national college entrance exams.

Mao Zedong (毛澤東) unsuccessfully tried to stamp out superstition, and now, numerology is just one of the superstitions that can make for a profitable consulting business. Some Chinese companies seek out such advice on product names or on which floor of a building to open an office.

"People have more money now and they want to spend it to get more luck," said Fang Mingyuan, who works in a Guangzhou agency that provides such advice.

The auction in Guangzhou, the third the city has held, occurred on June 24 on Ersha Island, a sliver of soil in the Pearl River that has become home to some of the city's wealthiest people. Around 200 bidders arrived on a broiling day, registered their banking information and were assigned a numbered auction paddle. Outside, the parking lot was stuffed with BMWs, Volvos, Audis and Jaguars, a few fresh off the showroom floor.

"Welcome on such a hot day," said the auctioneer, a government official in a shiny black suit. "I wish you a successful afternoon."

For good measure, he added: "And I wish you luck on gambling on the World Cup."

There was no shouting, no barking from the auctioneer. A few titters arose whenever a bidding war broke out. Some bidders were merely drivers representing their bosses.

"He didn't want a specific plate number, but he said that 20,000 yuan [US$2,500] was the maximum," said Liao Ruibin of his boss' willingness to spend such a sum. "He has a Mercedes."

Liao spent about US$1,350 of his boss' money for plate APL238.

"He has an expensive car and wants an expensive plate to match," he said.

A woman who spent US$2,900 on APX333 said of the custom plates: "All my friends have them."

Meanwhile, Ding, the salesman who spent US$6,750, said his friends "all have BMWs and Mercedes. They all have good plates."

His car is a new Chrysler and he said he considered his new plate a necessity.

"It's partly about prestige and status," he said.

Not everyone wanted the most expensive plates. Lu Yao, 21, said that anytime "you see a nice car with four or five 8s, people know they must be rich."

She and her parents paid about US$1,350 for plate APL128, a number that matched her birthday. Hours earlier, her mother surprised her father with a sport utility vehicle, and the family came to the auction directly from the sales lot.

"It's all these superstitions," said Lu, who attends college in California. "Apparently, my parents believe in it. We're Confucian. We believe in luck and numbers."
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